The voyage of Verrazzano : $b a chapter in the early history of maritime discovery in AmericaMurphy, Henry Cruse
History
The voyage of Verrazzano : $b a chapter in the early history of maritime discovery in America
Murphy, Henry Cruse
America -- Discovery and exploration -- French; Verrazzano, Giovanni da, 1485-1528
doubtless exceeds Asia in size. In this way we find that the land
forms a much larger portion of our globe than the ancients supposed,
who maintained, contrary to mathematical reasoning, that it was less
than the water, whereas actual experience proves the reverse, so
that we judge in respect to extent of surface the land covers as
much space as the water; and I hope more clearly and more
satisfactorily to point out and explain to your Majesty the great
extent of that new land, or new world, of which I have been
speaking. The continent of Asia and Africa, we know for certain is
joined to Europe at the north in Norway and Russia, which disproves
the idea of the ancients that all this part had been navigated from
the Cimbric Chersonesus, eastward as far as the Caspian Sea. They
also maintained that the whole continent was surrounded by two seas
situate to the east and west of it, which seas in fact do not
surround either of the two continents, for as we have seen above,
the land of the southern hemisphere at the latitude of 54 extends
eastwardly an unknown distance, and that of the northern passing the
66th parallel turns to the east, and has no termination as high as
the 70th. In a short time, I hope, we shall have more certain
knowledge of these things, by the aid of your Majesty, whom I pray
Almighty God to prosper in lasting glory, that, we may see the most
important results of this our cosmography in the fulfilment of the
holy words of the Gospel.
On board the ship Dolphin, in the port of Dieppe in Normandy, the
8th of July, 1524.
Your humble servant,
JANUS VERRAZZANUS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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